I arrived in Washington DC about midnight on Wednesday, feeling a bit anxious to start the program. I had no idea what to expect.

Thursday morning I made my way over to the JICC. I waited for my Japanese partners to arrive, wondering if I would recognize them! We had communicated through email which helped me develop a sense of their school and who they were. Yao-sensei and Nakamura-sensei greeted me warmly. Once every one had arrived we left to site see the city. We visited the Jefferson Memorial and then the Lincoln Memoria. I explained that Abraham Lincoln signed the legislation that established ISD and Gallaudet University. Yao-sensei and I had a good conversation about deaf education in America and in Japan.

We visited the Air and Space Museum where we had lunch. We then went to the Natural History Museum. Nakamura-sensei held a Madagascar cockroach. Unfortunately, my picture did not turn out! Lastly we visited the American History Museum. Yao-sensei explained to me about his interest in President Kennedy and quoted from one of his speeches.

For dinner this evening we were joined by Lynn and her partners. We walked to an Italian restaurant and had an enjoyable evening.

Friday morning started very early since the party-goers were lined up on the street at 4:00 am!!!! After meeting in the lobby everyone boarded the buses to go to Bell Multi-Cultural school. The school recently moved into their new building which was beautiful. We were treated to performances by the students, met with teachers to discuss the school, and observed in the classroom. Every classroom has the standards posted for the class and objectives for the day. Also, an agenda is listed on the board. The students have a final portfolio for every class that must be completed at the end of the quarter. The portfolios are a collection of work and projects that the students must present to prove they have met or exceeded the standards. I thought this was a good method to hold the students accountable for their learning. It is something I would like to know more about.

Yao-sensei and I continued to have interesting conversations regarding deaf education. He is enthused to learn more about deaf education and wants to help his students to do their best.

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